Propagation of Low Amplitude Shock Waves in a Tube

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Abstract

Essentially, a shock tube consists of a long, rigid
pipe which is divided into two sections: an air-tight driver,
or compression section, and a long expansion section. The
two lengths are separated by a thin diaphragm, and a pressure
above atmospheric is established in the driver section.
Vfuen the diaphragm is ruptured mechanically, a pressure
disturbance, which can be idealized as a step wave, propagates
down the tube.
Most published shock-tube research involves driver
pressures of many atmospheres, because of interest in the
extremely high temperatures and gas flow velocities which
can be obtained. The present thesis research, on the other
hand, is a study of the propagation of low-amplitude shock
waves, which have received comparatively little previous
attention. The shock tube is thus used as a means of generating
pressure disturbances of higher amplitude than those
commonly encountered in acoustics.